


Break Free

by Vu1p3cu14



Category: Assassination Classroom
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF Shiota Nagisa, Bad Parenting, Child Abuse, Didn't Know They Were Dating, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, If you get my subtle references we're friends now, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Kidnapping, Korosensei Saves The Day, M/M, POV Alternating, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Torture, Trauma, and gakuhou too, eventually, fuck shiota hiromi, its not as dark as it sounds i swear, like seriously, oblivious nagisa, protective Karma, the kidnapping is really short and theres lowkey fluff in the middle
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:41:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24620050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vu1p3cu14/pseuds/Vu1p3cu14
Summary: Asano Gakushuu becomes fascinated by the little blue-haired boy from class 3-E and realizes they have a lot more in common then he thought.Shiota Nagisa would much rather stay hidden and under the radar and has always found it extremely easy... That is until he connects with Kunugigaoka’s golden boy; things get a lot more complicated from there.Or, Nagisa and Asano realize they are one and the same and that they may need to watch each other's backs for the foreseeable future.
Relationships: Akabane Karma & Shiota Nagisa, Asano Gakushuu & Korosensei, Asano Gakushuu & Shiota Nagisa, Asano Gakushuu/Shiota Nagisa, Korosensei & Shiota Nagisa
Comments: 34
Kudos: 225





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Assassination Classroom or any of its characters. Credit goes to Yusei Matsui/SHUEISHA Inc. :)
> 
> They say if you can't find the fan-fic you want, write it! (or something like that...) 
> 
> So this is just me getting distracted and writing this self-indulgent fic that I'm a little too excited about when I really should be working on actual work n' stuff. 
> 
> Enjoy!

_Another failure… E class will pay for that,_ Asano thought as he was walking away from the assembly hall. He shoved his hands deep in his pockets, thinking. _They laughed. Laughed during an assembly. Father will want to take them down a notch._ He shook his head turning a corner only to stop dead in his tracks. Two imbeciles in his class had a smaller boy cornered against the vending machines. This was nothing new, though that didn’t change that this sort of behavior upset him. It was shameful to pick on those weaker than you.

He was about to intervene when the raven-haired teacher from class 3-E stepped forward, only to be stopped by someone else. He couldn’t see them very well but he heard their voice loud and clear. “None of my students would _ever_ succumb to students of their level.” Those words took a moment to process but when they did, they hit Asano like a ton of bricks. He saw his peer grab the boy by his collar and shake him roughly, threatening to kill him, then something changed. The air thickened and Asano could feel the chill emanating from the boy from where he stood frozen behind the two teachers.

Asano watched on as the little blue-haired boy from class 3-E scared his classmates out of their minds. He had no idea what the boy had said, but deep down, (maybe not so deep) he was mildly entertained by the effect of his words. There was terror in their eyes and they seemed to be sweating buckets. The only person he knew who could put _that_ look on someone’s face was his father, and this boy was so… forgettable that Asano had never really taken notice of him. Until only a moment ago, he seemed so meek, the next second he had frightened two guys twice his size so thoroughly they couldn’t even move. Asano felt an odd twinge of pride in his chest that he couldn’t pin down. This boy could fight back and Asano wanted to see more of it. If he knew one thing for sure, it was neither he nor his foolish classmates were ever going to forget him.

* * *

Months after the ‘vending machine incident’ as Asano liked to think of it, he still couldn’t get the tiny blue-haired boy out of his head. Why was he in E class? What made him learn to fight back? What high school was he going to? Questions swirled around in his mind unanswered. He didn’t like not knowing things. 

After hacking into the school’s database, he felt like he had come out mostly empty-handed. All he got was that the boy’s name was Shiota Nagisa, birthday was July 20th, he was 159cm tall (jeez so tiny), he weighted 48kg and his blood type is A. It seemed his favorite subject was English. But that’s it. Nothing to answer his questions and very little to talk about if he ever wanted to start a conversation with the guy. _Wait what?? Start a conversation?! The guy is from class E, he’s gotta be some sort of delinquent or hardened criminal to be there…_ Then Asano shook his head. A puzzle? Yes, one that he desperately wanted to solve. A criminal? No way in hell. 

The finals had been a disaster, another failure on his part, and now that school was out and he wouldn’t be seeing that ‘puzzle’ anytime soon. He still had that itch to solve it, the desire to tear down his walls to see what's inside. He almost wished that the two classes would be at the same resort for summer vacation. Almost. He couldn’t risk his reputation any further, there was too much at stake and it wasn't like he'd have much freedom on the 'vacation' anyway. He was expected to be on his best behavior, keep the rest of the class in line and study hard as to beat E class come next term. He shivered to think what his fath- the principal might do if he failed again. His home life was already bad enough. His body still ached from his last interaction with the principal and all he wanted was some time alone. _It will get better,_ he thought firmly.

Asano almost felt bad for lying to himself.

* * *

Everything hurt. His body was so sore he wanted to go into hibernation but Asano decided it would be better to stay out of the house for now. His loss to E class in the sports festival was humiliating, to say the least. He remembered the moment the pole fell; all he could see were those bright blue eyes filled with determination to win. And he had won. Nagisa had beaten him, and while his part may have seemed insignificant, Nagisa had been his downfall. He didn’t notice that the boy had left his place at the other side of the field until he was literally on top of Asano. His talent for going undetected was a force to be reckoned with.

He could still hear the principal’s words ringing in his ears. _“Incompetent leadership…”_ The blood spattered on the wall and on his shirt. _“Aren’t you mortified?”_ He had been mortified because he had known he was next. This was nothing new. It had only been a matter of time until his father left bruises and scars that were easy to hide.

Asano sighed again and kept walking, basking in the warm glow of the setting sun. His feet led him to a park on the very outskirts of his neighborhood. He liked it there. It was peaceful, and it was one of the only places he felt he could relax. It was fairly large with a lake towards the center and several benches and docks scattered on the lakeside. He was heading towards his favorite spot when he caught a glimpse of blue hidden amongst some bushes off to his right. Asano stopped abruptly but the blue vanished from view, apparently it was moving on one of the many hidden trails strewn across the park. A figure stepped out onto the path in front of him and he couldn’t help but feel confused. They were in a pretty white dress that went down to their knees but it was dirt-stained and torn in several places. Their hair was that familiar sky blue that he couldn’t stop thinking about but it was down instead of in its normal pigtails and it looked tangled as though someone had been pulling it too hard. His confusion only grew when he noticed that the figure wasn’t wearing any shoes. 

They seemed to be deep in thought and hadn’t appeared to have noticed Asano even though he was only a few paces behind them. They looked so much like Shiota but he just couldn’t tell from behind. And why would Shiota wear a dress and be out at this hour without shoes? The figure’s posture was familiar too but not because of Shiota. That was how he felt inside after seeing his- the principal. It signaled exhaustion and defeat. A beam of light filtered through the trees just long enough for him to see the dark blemishes blossoming on their slim arms and- wait what was that on their neck? That was the last straw for Asano.

“Hey, wait up.” He caught hold of a pale hand that looked dwarfed in him. The person turned and he inhaled sharply when he saw Shiota Nagisa looking back at him with puffy eyes and a large purple bruise on his cheek. Shiota’s eyes widened in horror then he cast them downwards, refusing to meet Asano’s analytical gaze. “Shiota…” the boy flinched at the sound of his name, much to Asano’s confusion. His cheeks were flushed in humiliation, visible even in the dim light of dusk.

“Asano, I… I can explain just… please...” His voice trailed off but the ‘ _just please don’t tell anyone about this’_ was loud and clear. He had never seen him look so fragile… The Shiota he saw scaring off bullies and the one in front of him were two completely different people. This one was looking anywhere but him and was shaking so bad that Asano wondered how long he could remain standing. 

“Fine but I know somewhere we can sit down and talk with more privacy. Come on.” Asano tugged gently on the small hand he was still holding and the other followed him without complaint. Asano led him down a path that spit them out in a clearing next to the lakeshore. There was a large rock next to the water where they sat for several moments in awkward silence. 

* * *

* * *

Asano spoke first. “Why aren’t you wearing any shoes? You could catch a cold.” His voice was gentle and chiding like he was scolding a child.

“Forgot them,” Nagisa mumbled. He couldn’t take this anymore. If Asano was going to screw him over, then he’d do it, and with the way Nagisa was now, it wouldn’t be much of a problem. Nagisa chose his next words very carefully. “They were too much of a hassle so I left without them.” Nagisa still couldn’t look him in the eyes. It seemed like that piercing purple gaze could see straight into his soul, and Nagisa couldn’t risk anyone, especially the principal’s son seeing into his soul. He couldn’t afford to let his guard down but in that position, he had very few choices. That clearing only had one exit and he knew from the sports festival that if he tried to run, Asano could catch him no problem with all these injuries. The blonde in question sighed.

“Look, I’m not going to tell anyone one about this or blackmail you, I just want to know what happened.” Nagisa eyed him carefully. He had to be lying. There was no way that the ‘Cold Emperor’ wouldn’t use this encounter to humiliate and expose him. No doubt, by midafternoon tomorrow, the entire school would be convinced that he was secretly a girl. Not that they didn’t think that anyway. He didn’t seem to be lying, Nagisa could always tell. He couldn’t trust him but at this point, Nagisa was so tired and miserable that he decided he didn’t care what happened to him next.

  
  


“Just… I’m a crossdresser and get bullied for it.” It was a lie, the only thing he could come up with, but he was a good liar so he was hoping it was a lie he could get away with. He fought the urge to squirm under Asano’s intense scrutiny. He had a sneaking suspicion that Asano hadn’t bought the bluff.

“Fine, but why were you cross-dressing outside?”Asano asked carefully. Nagisa cringed internally. He had momentarily forgotten that Asano wasn’t an idiot like the rest of the people he usually hung around. 

“I don’t like hiding my hobby. Is that so bad?”

“It is when you end up looking like this.”

“I only wanted to go for a walk.”

“A walk to show off your ‘hobby’ without shoes.” Shit. Asano got him there. Nagisa looked down at his clenched fists, trying to come up with an answer when Asano spoke again. “Give it up, Shiota,” Nagisa tensed, the movement not going unnoticed by Asano, “Anyone with half a brain could see that you’re absolutely miserable in those clothes. You’d sooner give up being in your precious E class than become a crossdresser.” He sneered nastily, and it almost felt like they were back on familiar turf. “And tell me, why do you startle when I call your name?” Asano all but growled in Nagisa’s ear. He hadn’t noticed how close they had gotten until Asano’s angry expression was inches away from his. He couldn’t understand why Asano was so upset. This was none of his business anyway. He finally looked Asano straight in the eyes, his irritation getting the better of him.

“Why do you care anyway? You’ve never looked at me twice. Why go out of your way to bother me now?” He saw the blonde’s jaw clench as he tried to control himself. It was obvious he was holding something back, but with a dad like his, Nagisa was sure he used to that. Wait… Asano’s dad. The principal. Asano’s unhealthy drive to win. This odd behavior when no one was looking. Maybe he saw some of himself in Nagisa, that’s why he was suddenly so invested. Was this the secret behind Kunugigaoka’s golden boy?

  
  
  


“Asano, what’s your relationship like with your dad?’ His question caught the blonde off guard, but that was sort of the point. Nagisa looked up at him expectantly, waiting for him to speak. He had to know.

“We… have our disagreements, as any family does,” Asano replied hesitantly. There was something that sounded suspiciously like hope hidden in his voice. Nagisa could tell there was more to it so he stayed quiet. “Is this really relevant?” Nagisa nodded and steeled himself to make a gamble.

  
  


“Asano, roll up your sleeves.” Asano blinked. Nagisa knew he never rolled up his sleeves, and probably for the same reason that Nagisa was always last out of the changing room. He didn’t want anyone to see what was under them. Asano spluttered and he continued cooly, “I’ll tell you what happened if you roll up your sleeves. If you understand, you’ll understand,” he stated simply. Asano considered him for a long moment. He had probably just given himself away but if it turned out they were the same… Maybe he could finally learn to trust. Have someone to fall back on. The wait was agonizing but eventually, Asano leaned back and looked out onto the lake.

Very slowly and carefully, he rolled up his sleeves, one after the other. Every new inch of pale skin revealed another bruise, nearly identical to Nagisa’s. He held back a sigh of relief. Before he could stop himself, Nagisa reached out to Asano; bridging the gap between them. Asano shivered when pale fingers reached out and traced the dark bruises he usually kept carefully hidden. It felt kind of nice. 

Nagisa trailed his fingers down Asano’s arm catching hold of his hand and placing it lightly on one of his own arms. Asano’s eyes widened in realization when his own hand landed on a definitively hand-shaped mark. He looked over the rest of Nagisa’s injuries(the ones he could see anyway) and the lightbulb went off above his head.

“I understand,” Asano breathed, still not looking away from Nagisa’s battered form. In that moment, Nagisa almost smiled. He felt like he might cry in relief. He had been right. He and Asano were one and the same. 

“My mother didn’t want me to compete in the sports festival, especially not the pole toppling event. She said it wasn’t lady-like.” Nagisa drew in a shaky breath. “But I had to participate. You saw how many people we had on our team.” Asano nodded, paying close attention yet still giving him room to speak. “She heard about what happened today and…” _When did it become so difficult to breathe?_ “And-” He exhaled sharply, struggling to get the words out. A large warm hand covered the two frozen ones he had clenched in his lap. Nagisa felt rough skin and callouses on Asano’s palm, he wondered where the blonde had gotten them. He focused on that warmth and felt grounded again, at least enough to keep talking. “And she wanted to remind me who and what I was. A weak, useless little girl causing more trouble than she’s worth.” Asano’s grip on his hands tightened. “Then she showed me what I was worth to her, to the world. After that, she went to wash up and I ran. Her episode was lasting so long and I-” Nagsia knew his mask was crumbling. He knew he couldn’t keep this up. The words were getting stuck in his throat and he was trembling so bad he knew he could collapse from exhaustion any minute now. 

“So you ran,” Asano finished for him. He nodded and he could feel the waves of anger coming off of Asano in waves. He recoiled slightly, and the blonde took a deep breath to calm himself. “Do you need a place to stay?” Asano asked hesitantly. Nagisa looked at him like hed had grown a second head. _Stay with him? Seriously what is this guy thinking? I can never tell._

“I… Well no. I should go back,” he replied shakily. Asano stiffened but nodded all the same. They both knew it would be so much worse when he did return if he didn’t that night. But something had changed. Asano still hadn’t let go of his hands and honestly, Nagisa didn’t mind the contact. Normal he’d shrink away when most people touched him but now he had an ally. 

Asano convinced Nagisa to let him walk him back, and they exchanged contact information so he could tell Asano he was home safely. Funny, the pain he felt just an hour ago was little more than a memory…

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys get to know each other a little better, and Asano faces his first hurdle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is super light and fluffy, and since the next one gets a tad bit darker I suggest you enjoy while you can ;)
> 
> Not much darker, staying in line with about the color of the manga/anime.
> 
> ALSO, I decided to cut the honorifics because I'm always nervous I'm gonna mess up and end up being disrespectful. They're still gonna call each other by their family names until they are closer/expressly give permission n stuff like that.
> 
> Anywhoot, enjoy!

Asano had never been so happy in his life. He had never known what he was missing until he had met Nagisa. A friend. He had always been taught that leaning on others was a show of weakness, and of course, weakness was never an option in the Asano household. But now… Now it felt like someone cared. Cared about the real him; not just the principal’s son, or the student council president. Nagisa cared about Asano Gakushuu, a middle school 3d year who was under too much pressure, who’s favorite subject was ethics and someone who played guitar when he was stressed. Nagisa knew and cherished all of him. It had to be some kind of miracle. A fascinating miracle to say the least.

Asano had gone into this friendship considering it as a puzzle that he wanted to solve, but now he knew that Nagisa’s spirit was as vast, brilliant, and complex as the stars above. Something so infinite that Asano knew he may never know all its wonders but he wanted to keep learning more every day, for the rest of his life. Nagisa was shy and small, but also fierce and loyal(and absolutely terrifying sometimes). He learned that his favorite food was sushi and he used to be in the concert club before E class. He was extremely perceptive and never ceased to amaze Asano, whether it be with his apparent talent for wall jumping or his beautiful singing. After that night in the park, it wasn’t long before they found solace in each other and their new friendship. 

  
  


They would hang out after school, walk home together, call each other in the middle of the night to pour their hearts out, and Nagisa had decided that Gakushuu was too close to Gakuhou so now his name was Shuu. (Not long after that one night when they were both completely loopy, Nagisa had challenged him to find the most irritating nickname possible, and after much deliberation, he decided on ‘Blueberry’. Nagisa hated it.) They’d go to the theater to make fun of the cheesy horror movies, and Nagisa would laugh every time he jumped. (After seeing some odd candies at the theater, Nagisa got his revenge for ‘Blueberry’ with ‘Lemondrop’) Shuu would give Nagisa piggyback rides to new restaurants opening in town and they’d pretend to be high-class food critics, even though Nagisa was terrible at it. He was just too nice. 

Oddly enough, Nagisa’s mom was fine with Shuu being around. She had always hated all of her son’s friends but apparently, she liked Nagisa hanging around the principal’s son, so they could always congregate at that house if need be. There was a warm fuzzy feeling in his chest that he couldn’t describe, and that unnerved him. He didn’t like not knowing things. But he knew he wouldn’t give it up for the world.

Nothing made his heart stutter the way it did whenever Nagisa looked at him with his shy smile, and nothing made him happier than the little snorts and giggles he heard whenever Shuu made a particularly bad joke or made a complete fool of himself. He wanted to make Nagisa smile every day if he could help it. And not the fake smile he was constantly using as a defense mechanism. The one that felt like home. _Blinding and brilliant like a star…_ he thought.

* * *

  
  


It was a week after the summer festival that Nagisa asked him to do something he’d been dreading for months now. They were sitting in a cat cafe, both of them apparently acting as cat magnets. Two kittens had already tried to climb him like a tree, each landing on a shoulder, and another calico had claimed his lap for the foreseeable future. Nagisa wasn’t doing much better, totally covered in cat hair. The three tiny kittens that had taken up residence in his lap kept batting at the hand holding his tea, almost knocking the cup out of his hand several times.

“Hey, I was thinking…” Nagisa started hesitantly. The boy paused, biting his lower lip. Not that Shuu noticed these things...

“You’re always thinking, Nagi,” he replied smoothly. “No, we are not adopting any furballs, there’s nothing you can do to change my mind.” His face was impassive as ever but there was a glimmer of mischief in his eyes that only Nagisa ever saw.

“Not kittens, you dork, I already tried my luck on that subject last week,” Nagisa giggled. (They had decided to room together if they got into a high school and college with dorms and Nagisa was determined to convince him that a kitten was necessary for their mental health. Shuu thought it was only a matter of time before he made a PowerPoint presentation.) Shuu had to bite back a smile. “I wanted to talk to you about maybe… you know… talking to my friends?” he made it sound like a question. 

Shuu felt a pit forming in his stomach. After all the things he’d done, all he’d put them through. They’d never accept him. He didn’t deserve to have friends like that anyway, hell, he didn’t really deserve Nagisa.

“I can see your brain spinning and I see you beating yourself up but come on, it would be fine! And I’ll be there if things get nasty,” Nagisa said encouragingly.

“Nagi… isn’t Akabane one of your closest friends?” he asked. He’d heard so many stories about their crazy adventures… But this was his biggest rival, he ha-

“Look, he doesn’t hate you, Shuu.” How did his little Blueberry always manage to read his mind? “He sees you as his biggest competition, and he really doesn’t have much of it in the first place, just like you. You two are much more alike than you realize. You’ll just have to talk to each other to find out.” Shuu sighed. 

“Okay… I’m not so sure about this, Nagi,” he said, frowning. Nagisa pulled out his greatest weapon… Puppy dog eyes. “Oh don’t look at me like that.” Shuu knew he had already lost. One of the kittens on his shoulder nuzzled his neck like it was trying to console him. Nagisa squealed and clapped his hands excitedly, already planning what was bound to be a disaster.

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Don’t worry, we’re almost there.” Nagisa squeezed his hand reassuringly. Shuu was sure he was walking to his doom. _At least I’m getting some blueberry ice cream out of it_ , he thought. (It was a running gag for them now, Asano would always have to get anything blueberry flavored he found at restaurants or shops, and Nagisa had to get anything lemon flavored.) For all his complaining, he knew how important this was to Nagisa, and also knew that he’d do anything to make him smile, so he really never had much of a choice in the first place. 

They rounded the street corner and saw their favorite ice cream place a few shops down, several tables sitting out front. He spotted a familiar mop of red hair sitting at one of the more crowded tables, so he dropped Nagisa’s hand, immediately missing its warmth, and schooled his expression into its usual look of disdain. Nagisa saw the look on his face and elbowed him, making him grunt in a way that said, ‘Fine, then what should I look like?’ Nagisa replied by flicking his eyes between him and the table with his eyebrows raised meaning, ‘Just be nice.’ They continued their silence argument all the way down the street until Nagisa stepped on his foot when they arrived at the right table where they found 5 pairs of eyes staring incredulously up at them.

“Did they just..?”

“They did…”

“I can’t believe it.”

The first speaker was a girl about the same size as Nagisa with green hair and a soft melodic voice. Shuu recognized her as Kayano Kaede, another prominent figure in a lot of Nagisa’s adventures. The other was Nakamura Rio, someone Nagisa described as a loveable trouble maker. Staring up at them open-mouthed were Sugino Tomohito, the previous ace of Kunugigakos baseball team, and Teraseka Ryoma, the resident problem child of class E. Akabane was standing next to Nakamura with a smug look on his face that heightened Shuu's feeling of impending doom. The red-head strolled over to them and rested one of his elbows on Nagisa’s shoulder, earning him a glare from his new armrest.

“What the hell is _he_ doing here?!” Teraseka asked loudly. Shuu gave Nagisa a quick glare. It was obvious he hadn’t told his friends who they’d be meeting. At least he had the grace to look sheepish.

“He’s here to steal your ice cream, of course, Teraseka,” Akabane shot back teasingly, intentionally or unintentionally taking the heat off of Shuu a short time, something he very much appreciated at that moment. 

“Shut the hell up, Karma. And what the fuck was _that_?” Teraseka shot back, then turning to Nagisa and Shuu.

“What was what?” Nagisa asked, tilting his head in a way that reminded Shuu of a puppy. Wait, no. Not a puppy. Not comparing the Blueberry to cute things right now. Bad Shuu.

“The whole eye thing you two did on the way here. We all saw it.” Teraseka said angrily. _What is he so worked up about anyway?_ He and Nagisa looked at each other, confused. “That!” Teraseka said pointing at them accusingly. _Oh, that._ It wasn’t uncommon for them to communicate silently. Honestly, sometimes it was easier that way. When you’re beaten and exhausted and feeling like the whole world’s against you, it’s nice to have someone who understands what you need when you don’t have the energy to say it.

“Obviously, they were practicing their pantomiming skills,” Nakamura cut in. “Couldn’t you tell?” It seemed that picking on Teraseka was some kind of sport in class E. Interesting… “Maybe there’s a secret school talent show coming up.” Nagisa had his normal ‘people smile’ on, but Shuu saw he was really amused by all this, and slightly relieved that someone had taken the pressure off of them again. The latter didn’t last for long. 

“But seriously, Nagisa, is _this_ the friend you were talking about?” Sugino asked, gesturing at Shuu. “You wanted us to meet up with our evil student council president?” he asked suspiciously, and Shuu tensed, his face hardening. Nagisa, sensing his discomfort, gently touched his arm. He felt himself relax at the boys’ touch. Akabane raised an eyebrow, having caught the exchange.

“He’s not evil, Sugino. He’s got problems just like everybody else, so please guys, just give him a chance.” Nagisa bowed his head, squeezing Shuu's arm signaling for him to bow too. So he did. Asano Gakushuu grit his teeth and bowed his head to 5 members of class E.

“Wow Asano, I never thought you knew how to bow your head, let alone how to endure human contact, for that matter.” Akabane’s dry sarcasm cut through the silence. His arm dropped from Nagisa’s shoulder and he stood in front of Shuu. _Obvious intimidation tactic. Good luck with that Akabane. I’m not going to fold, not when it comes to Nagisa,_ Shuu thought _._ They stared each other down and no one dared interfere, not even their little blue peacemaker. Akabane took another step closer, so their chests were practically touching. Even at the same height, they both had their chins tilted upwards as if determined to look down on each other. Nagisa was starting to get impatient. He thought it was completely ridiculous but knew if it wasn’t settled now, it would only fester and explode later on. The collective testosterone around the table was suffocating.

“Asano, I’ll warn you once.” Akabane was speaking more quietly than before and something in his tone had changed. Asano felt a sudden chill in the air, one he had only felt around Nagisa very, very few times. He could only describe it as… _bloodlust._ Still, Shuu didn’t back down. “You hurt our little blue bunny here and there will be literal hell to pay. I have a friend who will make a special poison just for you that will burn your body from the inside out. You will be deleted from existence, gone without a trace. You will be torn to shreds, _slowly,_ and they will never find your body, left scattered in skillfully carved pieces all over our mountainside as squirrel food, have I made myself clear?” 

Asano gulped. He was glad to know that Nagisa had some good friends around but he was also _very_ glad that they might be on the same team from now on because Akabane spoke with a chilling smile on his face that promised his sincerity. 

“Crystal,” Shuu replied after a moment’s pause.

“Great, then Welcome to the Blue Cinnamon Roll Protection Squad!” the redhead declared, slinging an arm around his shoulder.

“Wha - blue cinnamon… Akabane,” he spluttered indignantly.

“Karma was that really-” Nagisa started, looking irritable.

“WHAT?!” Teraseka yelled.

“Boys…” Nakamura and Kayano sighed and shook their heads in unison.

“Yes, it was necessary, little bunny,” Akabane cut him off, and Nagisa blushed in a very cute way at the ‘bunny’ comment. (At least Shuu thought it was cute.) “And call me Karma, Asano. I don’t like going by my family name.” Shuu raised an eyebrow.

“Only if by the same nature, you call me Shuu,” he replied, ignoring the commotion around them. Karma grinned.

“Your ice cream’s on me, Shuu,” Karma said, and turning to Nagisa he continued, “And I promise I won’t put any wasabi in it.” Nagisa looked like he’d believe it when he saw it and Shuu really didn’t want to know the story behind that look. 

“So how’d you two meet anyway?” Nakamura asked once the noise had died down. 

“His mother asked me to tutor him,” Shuu replied smoothly. Technically, it was true, but that was only after they’d met.

“Ahh yeah, she’s kinda a hard-ass sometimes huh?” said Kayano. _You don’t know the half of it,_ he thought. He smiled politely and nodded. Sugino still seemed unconvinced about his not-evilness and had been watching him carefully the whole time. _That’s okay,_ he thought, _I have a lot to prove… a lot to make up for._ Nakamura continued interrogating him for a while, and after they had all finished their ice cream, it seemed like Shuu might have a chance. The girls and Karma had taken to him quickly, though it seemed Sugino and Teraseka were still feeling defensive about Nagisa. They all said their goodbye’s and the duo began their trek home together.

“Man I’m beat,” Nagisa said with a sigh, putting his hands behind his head. Shuu rolled his eyes. He knew what Nagisa wanted. He knelt down in front of his friend and heard the delighted giggle from behind him. Nagisa hopped on his back, Shuu stood up and started walking. 

“Better?” He asked sarcastically. He felt Nagisa nod excitedly against his neck and muttered “Brat,” just loud enough for his human backpack to hear. Another giggle and Shuu felt his stomach flutter. All he could think as he carried his best friend home was, _I swear I’ll never know how I got so lucky._

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may or may not be slightly obsessed with this fic, so you can expect an update pretty soon.
> 
> Please let me know what you think in the comments below! Reading your guys's thoughts literally makes my day so don't be shy <3
> 
> Until next time,  
> Stay safe little birdies!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nagisa is a little too nice, and Shu finally finds out the truth in one of the worst ways possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is waaaaay longer than it was supposed to be but I may have gotten a little carried away... This is actually only half of what this chapter was supposed to contain but it turned out twice the size of my normal chapters... My b. Then again this whole fic was originally gonna be 3000 words long, see how that worked out. 
> 
> I'm sorry in advance!! This chapter is a little rough but there's some fluffy bits along the way so hang in there!
> 
> Enjoy!

If there was one thing that Shu had learned over the past month, it was that friends were one’s greatest weapon and defense. If something went wrong, they had your back but at the same time, if something went _right,_ they were there by your side cheering you on every time. He often wondered how on earth he had survived so long without Teraseka’s dumbassery, Nakamura’s snark, Sugino’s never-ending streams encouragement, and Kayano’s sunny disposition to lighten any mood. The Four Virtuosos had nothing on The Blue Cinnamon Roll Protection Squad. Even Karma had his assets; as much as they hated to admit it, Nagisa had been right. It irritated Shuu how alike he was to his old rival. Funny how one of the people he had disliked most in the world had become one of his closest friends, one of his best allies. They still argued, of course, but now there was no malice behind their words, no venom in their voices.

That was why he hated the looks on their faces when the peace they had enjoyed for so long was brutally shattered. 

After a group dinner one night, Nagisa, Shuu, Karma, Kayano, Sugino, and Nakamura were all walking down the street in the rain when Nagisa heard a soft _mew-_ ing sound from down an alleyway. He stopped and grabbed Shuu’s sleeve to get his attention.

“Did you heard that?” Nagisa asked in a quiet voice.

“What am I supposed to be hearing, Blueberry?” he asked. Nagisa put a finger to his own lips and Shuu listened hard. There it was. A kittens cry. But there was something wrong. He had a bad feeling about this. The rest of the group was ahead of them and no one seemed to have noticed that two of their members were lagging behind. “Leave it, Nagi,” Shu warned in a low voice. He pulled on Nagisa’s arm but the smaller boy resisted.

“It could be hurt. Come on, Shuu.” Nagisa wasn’t listening anymore. Shuu started to get nervous. He felt like there was something very wrong but thought that maybe he had been feeling twitchy from being out in the cold for so long. He let Nagisa lead him down the alleyway where they found three black kittens hiding in a cardboard box. Nagisa immediately knelt down to check on them but Shuu hung back a little. “This one looks like it’s got an injured leg,” Nagisa reported from the ground. Shuu felt like something was off about the kittens but couldn’t put his finger on it. Then he realized. _They’re all clean. If they were out in the rain, they’d be wet or at least a little dirty._

Shuu got up and grabbed his friend, pulling him up so quickly that he dropped his umbrella, intending to run but they stopped dead. Standing in front of their escape route was a massive, muscular figure. The breadth of his shoulders took up most of the alleyway. If they wanted to get to the street, they’d have to get past him. Shuu knew they had no chance against this giant. Behind them was a dead end, and without looking, Shuu could feel the presence of another person, one that probably wasn’t planning on luring them in with candy.

“Oh looky here, the star pupil and the principal’s son. Perfect.” The man in front of them had a deep, throaty voice that made Shuu shiver. There was so much bloodlust in the air. “Man, you two are a couple of softies, fallin’ into a trap like this. But it seems baby assassins travel in packs.” He directed his words towards Nagisa. _What could two thugs like these want with him?_ Shuu asked himself, finding no answer. “Boss said she needed him alive, but he didn’t say nothin’ about roughen ‘em up a bit.” And with that, he lunged towards Nagisa, while the man behind them rushed forward and held a cloth over Shuu’s nose and mouth. He’d been expecting that so he made sure not to breathe in the chemicals he knew must be soaked into the cloth. He counted to 3 then went limp and fell to the ground. The guy behind him cackled madly and said, “Nothing makes my blood burn like breaking a couple of kids. Looks like this one won’t take long though,” nudging Shuu with his foot. He laughed again, leaning down to inspect Shuu’s face. He willed himself not to move until the man straightened up again to watch the fight unfolding in front of them. 

Shuu was surprised Nagisa had lasted so long against a man like that. He opened his eyes just a sliver to see Nagisa going hand to hand with the muscly guy, using the man’s momentum and bulk against him to dodge and block. Shuu was breathless, and not because of the chloroform. Nagisa was _beautiful_. His eyes were shining brightly like two beacons in the dark and his movements were fluid like those of a cat. The rain made him look ethereal like he was glowing, and it was much later that he realized that it was at that moment, on the grimy floor of a dark alleyway soaked in freezing rain, Shuu fell in love with his best friend. 

Shuu watched on but quickly realized that while Nagisa was much faster and lighter than his opponent, he couldn’t seem to land a hit on the guy. He could dodge and dance around all day but with Shuu seemingly incapacitated, there was no way they could get away without being caught. Everything was moving so quickly… If only they could get help… Nagisa’s foot landed in a puddle that was much deeper than he expected, which made him momentarily lose his balance. That was the only opening his opponent needed. He grabbed a fist full of blue hair and the following punch sent Nagisa flying into the brick wall beside him with a sickening * _crack*,_ and he crumpled against it like a rag doll _._ Shuu wanted to cry out for his best friend but he knew that would give him away, and he needed to think of a plan. 

“Fucking brat. No one told us they were this good. Are all of them trained like this?” The muscly guy asked while grabbing Nagisa and throwing him over his shoulder. “Dunno, just glad we only needed the one,” the chloroform guy replied in a slimy voice. He reeked of the smell of dried blood. Shuu shivered and glanced at Nagisa from under his eyelids.

If he was still conscious, then he was a damn good actor, because the boy was totally limp and that kind of head injury could mean… _NO! My blueberry is fine. He’s a scrapper, have some faith._ He mentally kicked himself. It was a struggle not only to keep himself from panicking but to control the rage bubbling under his skin. Not only had that bastard dared to lay a finger on Nagisa, but **no one** got to call Nagisa a brat but him, damnit. 

Their attackers carried them out of the alleyway and over to where a car stood waiting for them. _Shit. How did we not notice something so obvious? They were probably there the whole time,_ he thought. Right before he was shoved into the back of the car, he saw their friends racing towards them. The girls looked absolutely murderous, and Shuu hoped that look would never be directed towards him. Sugino looked calm, more or less, on the surface but his eyes told another story. Fear, anger, determination. 

When he spotted Karma, Shuu’s muscles locked up involuntarily. Shuu knew that if he thought he had felt bloodlust before, he was dead wrong. Shuu could almost see an aura of dark intent surrounding Karma, so it was no surprise when Muscles and Chlorophorm panicked and picked up the pace. Shuu knew his friends would never make it in time. Muscles threw Nagisa carelessly in the van and got into the driver’s seat. Luckily, Shuu was already inside and was able to catch his unconscious friend before he hit his head again. Cradling Nagisa’s head in his lap, he checked the zip tie that held his wrists together. _They must not see me as much of a threat. Zipties. Really?_ He could get out of them in seconds. Nagisa, however, was bound tightly in several layers of rope and was blindfolded. 

That got him thinking back to what one of the thugs said. _“...baby assassins travel in packs,”_ and, _“are all of them trained like this?”_ and what was that about ‘star pupil’. Nagisa had terrible grades, on what planet would he be a star pupil? Wouldn’t that be Karma if anyone? The more he thought about it the more uncomfortable he got. _Who is this person? Do I even know my best friend?_ He thought. That thought pierced through his chest like a javelin. 

It took at least a half-hour stuck in the back of that van for the adrenaline to wear off for Shuu to realize the reality of the situation. Kidnapped. He had been kidnapped with his best friend for no apparent reason, was being taken to gods know where and was probably going to be tortured by a madman to be ‘broken’. _Funny, we’re already broken, this guy isn’t going to have much ‘fun’ with us,_ he thought, on the verge of panic. It was obvious that these two were too stupid to come up with a plan like this. They were going to meet the real mastermind soon and Shuu didn’t know if he could handle it. The only reason that he had kept calm through the rest of that car ride was that he was able to focus all of his thoughts on the anger he felt towards Muscles. _Nobody gets to call my Blueberry a brat but me, and this bastard will sorely regret it._

* * *

* * *

  
  


Nagisa woke up with a _terrible_ headache. He’d never felt anything like it before, and that was after having trained with both Karma and Takaoka. A warm sticky substance was flowing freely down the side of his face and his nostrils were filled with the tangy smell of iron. Blood. The back of his neck was sticky too. _Looks like there’s the source of the headache,_ he thought. He opened his eyes a fraction of a centimeter in an attempt to gather his bearings but they were covered in black cloth. _Shit, not again._ He subtly flexed his calves and forearms and found coarse rope binding his ankles and wrists to a wooden post of some kind. _Alright fine, don’t panic, let’s go through the ‘kidnapped checklist’,_ he thought. _S_ _ight: blindfold. Smell: blood. Touch: ropes, some sort of wooden chair to sit on, a familiar warmth behind him that he couldn’t place yet. Taste: more blood. Lastly, Hearing?_ Nagisa listened hard and heard someone breathing hard behind him. It seemed like they were hyperventilating. Then he noticed his wrists were tied behind the chair to something else. To _someone else_. That gave him some room to move and… 

As slowly and carefully as he could, making sure to keep his breaths even so it still seemed like he was asleep if anyone was watching, he found a hand. It took him seconds to realize it was Shuu’s hand. He’d never mistake it anywhere. Then it all came rushing back to him: the kittens, the fight, the kidnapping. No wonder Shuu was freaking out. He squeezed the warm, calloused hand reassuringly, the way he always did when Shuu was panicking, and eventually, his breaths seemed to even out. Then he started tapping on Nagisa’s palm with his middle finger. Nagisa was confused at first, then realized that he was tapping with very deliberate timing. It was Morse Code! Good thing Bitch-sensei thought it might in handy in the field if they were overseas. 

_Two guards. Same. Warehouse. They’re waiting for him. Boss waiting for you to wake._ Damn, his Lemondrop was good. Giving him all the essentials as quickly and concisely as possible in a crisis situation. Nagisa was impressed. He felt a great swell of pride in his chest knowing that _this_ was his best friend. 

_Good,_ he thought. _So they must not see Shuu as much of a threat since he wasn’t blindfolded, the two guys that got us were standing guard in some sort of warehouse. Their boss who wanted us alive is waiting for me to wake up, probably to interrogate and torture me or something. I’m not all that concerned honestly. I’ll just take my brain away. But what does it mean, ‘waiting for him’? Ooh. Shuu must have heard them say they were waiting for someone to come and get us. That must be Korosensei. Probably another trap to try to kill him._ Nagisa scoffed internally. _Amateurs._

Not long after Nagisa had untied then retied their bindings so it looked like they were still thoroughly bound had they heard a door squeak open. _Here we go,_ Nagisa thought. The * _click clack_ * of tall heels approached. The bloodlust that had radiated off of the new person was incredible. Shuu squeezed his hand in warning and almost immediately after, a bony hand made contact with his cheek and left a sharp sting in its wake. He groaned loud enough to show that he was awake and he felt his blindfold ripped off. At least it had been dark enough that it didn’t take his eyes long to adjust to the dim lighting.

He looked up to see the smiling face of a beautiful brunette, her hair flowing loose across her shoulder blades with venomous green eyes that told him he had better run and hide. She was wearing a black tube dress with long sleeves and a plunging neckline, definitely something Bitchsensei would wear. The smile painted onto her face was sensual and deadly and her eyes were ice cold. Everything about this woman set him on edge.

“Good morning sweetheart,” she cooed in the _exact_ same tone Bitchsensei would use while teaching them seduction techniques. “How’s your head feeling? That looks painful,” she cooed, gently caressing the open wound near his hairline. He shrugged. _How am I supposed to deal with her?_ He thought wildly. _Torture, I can endure, that was easy. But this..? Bitchsensei had never taught them how to counter seduction techniques._ She stroked his cheek with her forefinger while he tried his best not to flinch. Maybe he should just play along? “Blue is my favorite color, you know,” she said in a low tone that Nagisa thought might have supposed to be sexy but he had to fight to keep the grimace off his face. _Not sexy, lady,_ he thought. She twirled a lock of his hair around her thin finger, leaning down so her face was inches from his and her cleavage was on full display. “You’re Shiota from E class at Kunugigoka, right?” she asked. He nodded, his face still impassive. “They say you’re the best in class,” when he didn’t respond she continued, “They say you took out Takaoka all on your own. You tiny thing, taking a beast like him down twice. It’s almost unbelievable.” She eyed him carefully, trailing her fingers down his chest. “How’d you do it, stud?” she purred. She was fishing for information, that much was obvious.

“I only followed my training,” he replied in a dispassionate voice. He felt Shuu’s hand start to shake again and thought about all of the things his friend had just heard. Nagisa gritted his teeth. _It was bound to come out someday…_ he thought while also trying to think of ways to minimize the damage. He could always tell when someone was lying, Mr. Karasuno had taught him that, and that woman was dishonest to the core, even if she hadn’t technically lied yet. (Except her favorite color wasn’t blue, which came as somewhat of a relief to Nagisa.)

“Oh really?” the woman said with a hint of danger in her voice. “Some training you’ve got then. Who taught you?” she asked innocently. He thought it would be best not to lie, but didn’t want to give her any information either.

“I picked up a lot of moves from my classmates,” he stated simply. It wasn’t a lie, after all. She hummed and considered him carefully for a moment.

  
  


“Tough audience, huh?” she said more to herself than anyone. “Fine.” Suddenly, there was a knife in her hand, the blade pressed steadily against Nagisa’s throat. In her other hand was a tiny glass vial that she waved in front of his face almost tauntingly. “Since you’re such a pretty little thing, I want to keep the damage to a minimum. Or at least the external damage.” She giggled. “You could still be useful once I’m done with you. Maybe I just have to teach you some manners.” _Talk about a complete 180,_ he thought. “This is an extremely deadly and fast-acting poison.” Her sickly sweet voice was now laced with a venom far more potent any human could ever possess. He shivered.

“You do realize that the reward is void if you kill me, right?” For the first time since he had started training himself to conceal his emotions, Nagisa’s composure almost slipped. _They can’t hurt anyone from Class E, but Shuu is fair game._ If Shuu was killed, Nagisa would never forgive himself. All he could hope for was that these people hadn’t thought about that loophole yet. Nagisa thought of it just after they became friends and the idea of it made him sick. 

“Oh yes, I’m well aware. I have the antidote right here,” she said smoothly, pulling another vial out of her bosom. She swirled it around in the vial for a moment then it dropped out of sight again. “But this poison is _extremely_ painful, I’ve been told that it feels like your nerves are being torn apart piece by piece.” Nagisa was starting to feel sick. She wasn’t lying. “All I have to do is get this baby into your system, watch you scream in agony until your body hits its limit, and at that exact moment between life and death, I’ll administer the antidote.” Looking at her smile made him feel like he was drowning in despair. “Oh dear, have I scared you? Finally cracked that so beautifully crafted mask of yours?” Her smile grew and she let the knife glide over his eyelids, then his cheeks, then down his neck and onto his chest where it sliced through his shirt like melted butter. 

Taking his brain away from the cut of a knife was child’s play, but this poison she had spoken of… he wasn’t so sure that he would be able to manage. Poor Shuu had to have been absolutely terrified. He had been squeezing his hand so tight it might have gone numb. Nagisa decided that had to be strong for his friend. Some random assassin wasn’t going to get the better of him with a tiny vial of poison. Nagisa lifted his chin and met her cold green gaze with his determined blue one.

“So will you tell me about the octopus or not, sweetheart? I’d love to know a little more about your other sensei’s as well, while we’re at it,” she asked pleasantly.

“Eat. My Shorts.” Nagisa replied through gritted teeth. Anger flashed in her eyes and she stepped away from the boys momentarily. When she came back into his line of sight, she had a pair of blue medical gloves in her hands. Shuu was shaking badly, probably thinking about what the woman said before about the poison. Nagisa could only feel relief that his friend had been left out of the line of fire so far.

“Open wide, honey,” she said with that sinister smile. She forced his jaw open with one hand and held a dropper filled with the poison in the other. She put a few drops down his throat. Nagisa hated the feeling of helplessness that engulfed him. _I can’t stop her, but I can fight back,_ he thought furiously. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and centered himself, searching for his happiest memory and immersing himself deep within its world. Interesting, the memory that arose was different from the one he used the last time he had performed the separation technique...

  
  


_\--Nagisa stared into a pair of brilliant purple crystal orbs; they were absolutely captivating. He could think of nothing else, was lost deep within their depths, and didn’t know if he really wanted to be found. He saw a fondness in them that made warmth swell in his chest, constricting his airways and he blamed the long climb for the heat rising in his face._

_While at the top of a steep cliff, Nagisa had realized that the view was so much better while surrounded by friends. A massive forest surrounding a huge lake was laid out before them, the sunset reflecting off the water like a flickering flame. It was a landscape straight out of a painting, more beautiful than anything they had ever seen in their lives, but the duo wasn’t looking at the view anymore. They were trapped in each other, tucked into the other’s orbits. The magnetic pull between them was so strong that maybe, just maybe, they could stand together at the top of this cliff and they could be invincible. Together… Maybe they could make that happen._

_Shuu smiled and the world lit up before Nagisa’s eyes. It was dazzling. Nagisa’s heart skipped a beat when he glanced down for half a second at the other’s lips and of course, Shuu noticed. He was so perfect in all of his flaws… The way he_ always _had to hold the door open, and the way he bit his knuckle when he was thinking hard. The way he made any and every terrible joke he could think of when Nagisa was upset, the way he buried his head in Nagisa’s neck so he wouldn’t see him cry. Every bit of Shuu was so precious to him, even the teasing smirk he wore now. When had Shuu started having such an effect on him? Nagisa blamed it on the adrenaline rush from being so high up. The absurdity of the situation made him start to laugh contagiously and he soon joined by the rest of his friends. It wasn’t every day anyone could scale a cliff as tall and steep as they had._

_Nagisa stepped closer to Shuu and--_

  
  


Pain burst from every fiber of his being. He tried to dive back into the memory but it was too much. The agony had completely overwhelmed his senses. His eyes flew open and he felt himself gasping for air. It took everything he had _not_ to scream, he wouldn’t give Fake-Bitchsensei the satisfaction and didn’t want to scare Shuu anymore that he already had. But the pain kept building. Nagisa let slip a groan and clamped his jaw shut tight.

“Oh no, sweetie. Don’t hold it in. I want to hear you scream,” he heard distantly. Then he felt another surge of pain when the woman hit him and he realized that the poison was created to overload someone’s nerves, overstimulate them to the point of heart or respiratory failure. He felt like he was going to throw up. He couldn’t breathe and he felt like his head was about to explode. Nagisa had been sure that death was coming for him, but he wouldn’t let that happen, Shuu had to get out of there alive, and it was Nagisa’s job to oversee that. 

Nagisa had never cared if he died. He could pull off assassination attempts the others couldn’t because he just didn’t care. Nothing had any meaning to him. His father had left him to deal with his mother alone, Karma obviously couldn’t care less about some stupid, ordinary weakling, and his mother couldn’t even stand to look at him. He was worth nothing, everyone had made that very clear to him. But now he had a reason to live, a reason to keep going. Now he knew that someone cared, someone needed him. They needed each other, and would never let the other drown in themselves. She had saved him from that darkness. He couldn’t let his savior down.

Nagisa thought about all those times that Shuu had carried him home because he had complained about his feet hurting, all the times they had lain awake at night talking about anything and everything that came to mind, never quite able to look away for long while laying down facing each other on Nagisa’s comforter… They would fall asleep without even realizing it because it felt like a dream.

Suddenly the pain was receding. Nagisa felt his mind start to clear, and it became a little easier to breathe. His stomach was still churning, but at least now he was in control. He opened his eyes to see his captor frowning down at his panting and sweaty form like he was gum stuck to the bottom of her gaudy heels. She was holding a short syringe, presumably carrying the antidote to the poison she had used on him. 

“You hardly made any noise at all,” she said in a sulky voice. “Most men don’t last a minute before they give in.” She sighed. “Shall we try again or-” she was cut off by an explosion from above and the ceiling caving in. He heard several people scream but Nagisa knew he had no reason to be afraid. The others… Well, they should be very, _very_ afraid. 

A gigantic yellow figure rose from the rubble, though when it looked in Nagisa’s direction, it turned pitch black. Nagisa’s vision was still a little blurry, and he was still breathing like he had tried to scale the mountain double-time with Karma. He also suspected that it wasn’t just sweat that was dripping down his still exposed chest. He hoped that Shuu wouldn’t have to see him like this… he probably looked like he’d just stepped out of one of their cheesy horror movies, and the poor guy had been through enough today.

Distantly, he heard, “No! Please! Let me explain!” from what sounded like Fake-Bitchsensei who had still been wearing highly incriminating blue gloves. Unfortunately for her, she had caught Korosensei in a bad mood, so it hadn’t been long before she stopped talking altogether. Nagisa let his head fall back against the back of his chair and closed his eyes. Shuu was safe and they were saved, everything was going to be okay. All of his remaining energy left him in a rush, not even leaving enough to speak. When Korosensei called his name, he could only grunt in response. 

The sounds around him dulled into a low buzz and Nagisa thought about the memory that he had come up with when he took his brain away, and what saved him the second time. Shuu. Everything had changed so much in those last few months… The last time he had used that separation technique, he had dived into a memory of when he had used a grenade in an attempt to kill Korosensei, and his target had saved him. It was the first time anyone had cared, the first time someone was upset at his reckless actions. At the time, that was his happiest memory. He had matured so much since he met Shuu that night in the park and for good or bad, it was Shuu that saved his life that day.

His mind became clouded with exhaustion, but he knew he could let go.

  
  


_Shuu was safe and they were saved, everything was going to be okay._

  
  


Nagisa felt his consciousness slipping away from him and the last thing he remembered were words Korosensei had spoken to him long ago.

* * *

**“Whether a fish lives in a clear stream or a water ditch, so long as it continues swimming forward, it will grow up beautifully.”**

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't kill me please? I really threw Nagisa under the bus there but he's a tough cookie and he'll be okay.
> 
> Also, fun fact, there is actually a poison similar to the one I described, don't try this at home, kids. Nerve agents are scary. 
> 
> These boys are the sweetest and I promise the next chapter is way softer!  
> (Korosensei piiiiiiiisssed tho. And Teraseka might riot lol)
> 
> Also, I slipped in two references to two of my favorite things on this planet, and if you get them, let me know in the comments and please please please be my friend ;,)
> 
> I absolutely love reading everyone's thoughts and feelings so please don't be shy!
> 
> Anyways,  
> Stay Safe, Little Birdies! <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end, and the beginning.
> 
> Enter Gay Disaster, Stage Right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm alive! I swear. I was busy with a lot of other stuff, including some other fics that I posted earlier. Check them out on my profile if you're interested!

Shuu’s entire world was collapsing around him, the sight of Nagisa’s lifeless body was burned onto his retinas. He vaguely remembered someone had tried to separate them at one point after they had been rescued but he clung onto his friend for dear life. He was too busy worrying about Nagisa to spare a thought for the _giant yellow octopus_ trying to comfort him. 

The white plastic chair that Shuu found himself in was uncomfortable, but it didn’t matter much if it meant that he could sit by his Blueberry’s hospital bed and hold his hand. The wait was terrible, every second felt like another weight being dropped on his chest. _Please wake up, please wake up, I can’t do this without you. Please please,_ **_please…_ **Thankfully, there weren’t very many witnesses to the tears that flowed freely down his face as his heart tore itself apart.

* * *

  
  


Shuu woke up with a pounding headache and the uncomfortable feeling of dried tears stuck to his face. He was bent over the hospital bed with his forehead pressed against his best friend’s hand and realized he must have cried himself to sleep. How embarrassing.

He looked up, intending to find out what had woken him up, and found those swirling sapphire depths he knew so well blinking back at him.

“L-Lemon?” Nagisa called in a soft but raspy voice. 

“It’s me. I’m here, little Blueberry,” Shuu whispered. Nagisa raised a trembling hand to cup his face and he covered it with his own, leaning into the familiar warmth. He turned his head just enough to kiss the palm of Nagisa’s hand and the injured boy smiled fondly. Shuu couldn’t stop the matching smile that appeared on his face. He wanted to chastise and lecture Nagisa but he just couldn’t find it in him when a cozy feeling blossomed in his chest, because Nagisa was **alive** and looking all too pleased for someone who was just kidnapped. 

The moment was broken by the sound of a camera shutter, and Shuu turned to see the octopus thing taking pictures. Nagisa glared at it and Shuu felt heat rush to his cheeks at being caught in such a vulnerable position. He sat up quickly and straightened his clothes as best he could. Getting the glass of water he handed Nagisa was a good excuse to hide his face.

“Korosensei, what are you doing here?” Nagisa asked after sipping at the water in his hands. 

“Well I couldn’t just leave the two of you to your own devices, and I decided it might be better not to call either of your parents.” He gave them what Shuu guessed was a meaningful look before continuing. Shuu tensed. He hadn’t thought about that. He hadn’t really thought much about anything other than... “Mr. Karasuma should be here momentarily.” Nagisa noticed his friend’s agitation and grabbed his hand and didn’t let go. For this, Shuu would be forever grateful. They sent messages to their friends that they were okay and Shuu reminded Nagisa that they had been planning to sleepover at Karma’s anyway so they didn’t need to deal with their parents just yet. 

They were both exhausted from the day’s events. Nagisa gave his friend a once over then scooted over to one side of the hospital bed he was laying on. Without thinking about it, Shuu kicked off his shoes and crawled under the covers with him. Nagisa immediately snuggled closer, taking advantage of his warmth, and Shuu wrapped his arms around his Blueberry. It was comfortable and familiar and exactly what they needed. They fell asleep to the sound of each other breathing and listening to each other’s heartbeats.

* * *

  
  


After the kidnapping incident, Shuu became an honorary member of class 3-E, much to Nagisa’s delight. He had to sign a lot of paperwork on confidentiality and promised not to do anything stupid, then he was handed a weird green knife and sent on his merry way. Korosensei was thrilled to have him as a ‘student’, and while it took a while for the rest of the class to warm up to him, it wasn’t long before he was training after school and on weekends. 

Against his better judgment, Shuu found himself growing rather fond of Korosensei, even more so of Karasuma. The man never treated him differently and always looked him in the eye when they spoke. He was one of the very few people he thought he could really trust. 

As an honorary member of class 3E, Shuu was present on that horrible mountaintop the night that Korosensei died. They were all devastated, but no one more so than Nagisa. Shuu knew he had to be there for his friend. They grew up together, mourned together, and followed Sensei's last piece of advice.

* * *

_“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Korosensei asked. Shuu tilted his head and looked up at his mentor. He had never really thought about it. He only knew what his father had taught him, and that was to succeed the older Asano and run the Empire his father built. Korosensi seemed to know what he was thinking and chuckled softly. “You know, Asano,” Korosensi started. “You don't have to do what anyone expects of you. You don't have to be what he wants you to be.” Shuu became a little irritated at those words. Korosensi had no idea what he was talking about. He_ had _to take over the family business, he had no other purpose._

_“I will succeed at my father because that is what I was meant to do,” Shuu said stiffly. Korosensi stared at him for a second and he felt the uncomfortable sensation of being picked apart piece by piece and examined much too closely for comfort._

_“If you are determined to succeed your father, I won't stop you,” Korosensi said, “But I will tell you this,” he put two tentacles on Shuu shoulders in a fatherly sort of way and said, “All you need do is ask, and I will help you_ **_break free_ ** _.”_

* * *

Korosensi did much more than he could have ever imagined. Much more than any adult had ever done for him before. He helped them Break Free. Nagisa was sprung free from his mother’s cage and Shuu finally escaped his father’s reach, all thanks to Korosensi. They were able to attend a prestigious high school with dorms together and didn't have to live with terrible parents anymore. Korosensi was the one who made it all possible. Shuu would be forever grateful to him. 

Throughout high school, they became closer than ever. Shuu had never felt so content in his life and was sure Nagisa felt the same way. Living with his best friend was a dream come true, literally, though, during their second year, Shuu realized that he had a problem. 

It started with little things, like the fluttering in his stomach when their hands brushed up against each other, or the pleasant tingle he got whenever Nagisa jumped on his back or gave him a hug that felt like a warm blanket on a cold winter's day. Like how the sight of that little half-smile that promised mischief made his knees weak or how he could no longer see his roommate walk out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist without blushing right down to the roots of his blond hair and fleeing from the room as fast as he could. 

He had a problem.

A _big_ problem.

Thankfully, his completely oblivious best friend hadn’t caught onto the fact that he had fallen head over heels for him, but it was only a matter of time, right?

  
  


Wrong.

  
  


Halfway into their first year of university and Nagisa was still somehow as clueless as ever to his (not so subtle) pining. It was absolute _torture_ . Sometimes, Shuu was grateful for his best friend’s thick-head when it came to himself, but other times, he wished his Blueberry paid just a _little_ bit more attention. Now was one of those times.

They were sitting on a bench in one of the courtyards in their university, enjoying the sun and the peace of each other’s company. It was nice, just sitting here with Nagisa, neither of them feeling the need to fill the comfortable silence that surrounded them. Shuu was content just being Nagisa’s friend if it meant he got to enjoy moments like this.

The peace was broken much too soon for his liking,(he preferred never) when they both sensed someone approaching them from the left, closest to Nagisa. Said Blueberry didn’t bother looking up from his book while Shuu glanced at the girl who was strutting towards their bench. How irritating. _If she wants to talk then she better be fast. She’s interrupting my time with Blueberry._

* * *

* * *

_If she wants to talk then she better be fast. She’s interrupting my time with Lemondrop._ Nagisa placed his marker in the book and looked up. _What could she possibly want? Did she forget the homework or something?_ They only shared one class, World Mythology, and for some reason, she always made a point to talk to him and make him as uncomfortable as possible. 

“Hello,” he smiled politely at her, “Did you need something?” he asked as she reached their bench. He raised an eyebrow when she leaned in a little too close and put on a flirtatious smile. Nagisa looked at Shuu in time to see a smirk flit across his face as he watched, a knowing glint in his eyes. Nagisa watched his traitorous best friend lean back on the bench and put his hands behind his head. When he looked at Nagisa, the amusement was clear in his eyes. _Yeah, get some popcorn, why don’t you,_ he thought.

“Heyy, Shiota,” he repressed a cringe at the use of his last name. After all these years, Nagisa still hated hearing it. Surely, she knew that, he asked everyone on the first day of class to call him Nagisa. Maybe she thought she was special or something. “You’re lookin’ good today,” she said with an eyebrow wiggle. Shuu coughed, which was probably covering a laugh. Nagisa decided to ignore him in favor of retaining his polite air rather than kicking his best friend in the shins like he deserved. 

“I… Look like this every day?” it sounded more like a question. Her smile turned into a smirk, the same way Shuu’s would when he was teasing him. 

“Yeah, that’s my point, Shiota.” She seemed pleased with herself. “You’re always looking like a snacc.” He stared at her blankly. At his right, Shuu was shaking with suppressed laughter. When he didn’t respond, she finished with, “Let me take the snack out for a snack, say tomorrow night? We can get dinner.”

Oh.

  
  


_Oh._

  
  


She wanted to go on a date with him. **_Oh…_ ** That explains Shuu’s reaction. He knew… _Some best friend, throwing me to the wolves like that._ Now what was he supposed to say? He didn’t really want to go on a date with her, but he didn’t want to turn her down either. So of course, like any rational person would, he panicked and blurted out the first thing he could think of. 

“Sorry, I have a boyfriend.”

He could feel Shuu’s incredulous stare on the side of his face. At least that got him to shut up. The girl scoffed and cocked an eyebrow.

“I’m sure I could please you better than any man,” she said, arrogance dripping from her tone.

“Your name isn’t Lemondrop, so I don’t think you’d be able to do much of anything.”

Before either of his companions could react, he grabbed Shuu’s tie, and pulled. Nagisa could only hope that Shuu would forgive him for what he was about to do. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry not sorry for the cliffhanger ;) I hope everyone is staying safe in these tough times. Lemme know what you think in the comments! I love to hear from you <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Lemon figures some stuff out then he gets to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okie so something everyone should know about me as a writer is that I'm very _very_ easily distractible. This means that I am constantly attacked by plot bunnies and if I do not concede to their commands, my brain will meet a painful, untimely death. 
> 
> So! That means that I am constantly working on at least 3 stories at a time, switching back and forth between them all the time. There is no update schedule or 'main fic', so updates will be sporadic for all of my stories. I **always** finish my fics, including this one, but it happens when it happens because I get distracted. (Especially with things that are supposed to be one-shots then decidedly become _not_ one-shots)
> 
> I beg for your patience, and hope you enjoy the story nonetheless :)

  
  
  


This was not how Shuu thought this conversation would go. When Kusanagi came sauntering towards Nagisa, swinging her hips and batting her eyelashes, her intention was glaringly obvious. But of course, his brilliant, analytical, clever best friend had absolutely no clue. Maybe this would be a good lesson for him, Shuu thought, deciding to sit back and watch the show.

He expected Nagisa to be oblivious to her advances then politely turn her down as soon as he caught on. He was partially right. The girl was pushier than Shuu expected but that shouldn’t have mattered, Nagisa would just gently tell her to leave and they’d all be on their merry way. But no, of course, when his brilliant, analytical, clever best friend, who could take down world-class assassins and military maniacs with a smile on his face, was up against a flirt, he panicked. 

Shuu saw the moment it clicked in his head and the emotions flitting across Nagisa’s face (mostly just his eyes) that settled in panic so he was expecting him to say something stupid. Shuu was not prepared for the  _ amount _ of stupid, however. He should have known, after all, his Blueberry was always finding new ways to catch him off guard. So he should have expected the, “I have a boyfriend!” but it surprised him nonetheless. 

When Kusanagi continued to push, Shuu was wrong again. _ ‘Lemondrop’ is oddly specific… No, don’t start reading into things. Nagisa is just spou-  _ Shuu’s train of thought was derailed by a tug on his tie and then Nagisa was  _ much,  _ much too close. His lips were tingling and suddenly his heart was going to burst, too big in his chest. It took Shuu a full 10 seconds to realize what was happening, but when he did, he tilted his head to the side so their lips slotted together.

Then the kiss was no longer fumbling and messy, it was  _ electric _ , like two puzzle pieces fitting together perfectly. When Nagisa’s lips moved against his, for a moment, just one moment, Shuu let himself forget. He forgot about his father, he forgot about the pressure that constantly followed him like a dark cloud. He forgot the memories that made him repress a flinch at loud noises and unexpected touches, the things that reminded him of that mountaintop all those years ago.

He forgot because it didn’t matter.

What mattered was what was right in front of him.

  
  
  
  
  


He was finally **_free._**

  
  
  
  


The world felt so much brighter, he felt inexplicably lighter. Shuu took in a deep breath of fresh air and smiled against Nagisa’s lips. His best friend cupped his cheek sweetly while Shuu had a hand on his waist, pulling his Blueberry just a little closer. Nagisa’s kiss was absolutely magical, and Shuu had never been happier.

It was over far too soon, and when Nagisa pulled away they were both flushed and breathless. Shuu decided he liked that look on his Blueberry ( _ if he was the one who put it there). _ Nagisa looked around and saw that whoever they were talking to had left. (Shuu couldn’t remember a thing) He sighed in relief, sagging a little on the bench. Then his (beautiful) blue eyes widened and he snapped to attention.

“ Shuu! I’m so sorry please don’t be mad I just p _ anickedanddidntknowwhattodowhenshewaslikethatan-”  _ Nagisa started babbling and Shuu put a finger lightly on his nose before he could work himself up anymore. ‘Finger on nose’ meant ‘ _ shhh’ _ , so Nagisa immediately fell silent and relaxed a little. Shuu chuckled a little at his friend’s antics while Nagisa puffed out his cheeks in a pout that made Shuu’s heart skip a beat. “You knew she was flirting, didn’t you?” he accused.

Shuu raised both hands in front of him in surrender, “Guilty as charged,” he replied with a little smirk. It was all he could do to keep up their usual banter while internally, Shuu was still in shock.  _ He kissed me… He kissed me but it was only to trick something else. That stings. But it felt so real… You can’t fake this sort of thing… right? But this is Nagisa we’re talking about here, not only an amazing actor but incredibly talented at overcoming any problem, whether it be saving the world or convincing a classmate he has a boyfriend. He also had Bitchsensei... Honestly a bit cruel of him… but he doesn’t even know. He doesn’t know how much that kiss meant, and how much it makes my chest ache to think about… _

Nagisa must have sensed the shift in his mood while they were talking because he frowned and asked, “What’s up, Lemondrop?” There was another sharp pang in Shuu’s chest that he did his best to ignore. 

“Nothing, Berry.” Nagisa raised a skeptical eyebrow. “I-” he cast around for a viable excuse, “I’m just-” Nagisa always knew what he was lying, he wouldn’t be getting away with it this time either. “I’m just irritated with how pushy Kusanagi was being, is all.” It was true, just not the whole truth. Nagisa could sense that he wasn’t being totally honest but didn’t call him out on it. He only sighed and shook his head. 

It was only 4pm but they had no more classes that day and Shuu was just so  _ tired _ . He wanted to curl up in his bed to never see the light of day again, never think about the events of today. Maybe then it would hurt less. It was clear that that kiss meant nothing to Nagisa, it was only a trick, a joke. Maybe one day they’d look back on today and laugh but right now, it only hurt.

It hurt that he was the  _ only  _ one who felt the electric current that made his lips tingle. It hurt that it was only  _ his  _ heart missing a beat when their eyes met, that only  _ his  _ heart was about to burst when their lips met. It hurt that Nagisa was the  _ only  _ one who would ever make him feel free with just a kiss.

Usually, Shuu could just ignore his feelings, push them aside in favor of keeping their wonderful friendship, he didn’t think he’d make it if his best friend left him forever just because Shuu wasn’t grateful for what he had. He  _ is  _ grateful, but now that he’d felt what it could be like if Nagisa ever loved him back… well… maybe he just needed a few days to collect himself. He’d call in sick for the first time in all his years of school, and he’d get his head back on straight. Yeah, that’ll work.

He told Nagisa that he wasn’t feeling well(which was true) and that he was going to retire early for the night, then made a strategic retreat, ignoring the concerned look his friend gave him before he left. When he got home, he stripped down to his boxers and slipped under his blankets. Shuu stayed like that, awake without bothering to even close his eyes, until the next evening. Only grunting in response when Nagisa knocked on his door and let him know he was heading out. That evening Nagisa brought him some soup. He appreciated the gesture but couldn’t bring himself to touch it.

The next day, he was able to convince himself to get out of bed, but only after his ‘ _ roommate’ _ was gone. He spent the day mentally beating himself back into shape.  _ This is absolutely shameful behavior. You have nothing to gain from moping around. The only thing you’ve accomplished is worrying him so get your act together and start acting like a functioning member of society. _ He avoided Nagisa until the next morning when they walked to school together, but after that, life carried on as usual.

* * *

It was seriously impressive how oblivious Nagisa could be. Shuu liked to think that he was being subtle, but he knew that he wasn’t all that good at hiding his crush. It was the Red Devil himself and his sidekick who noticed first. When The Blue Cinnamon Roll Protection Squad had decided to meet for lunch one day, Karma took one look at them and burst out laughing, the bastard. 

“Oh shit, this is priceless!” Rio turned and spotted Shuu and Nagisa where they were sitting next to each other, having already arrived. They looked at each other in confusion, then Rio started howling with laughter right alongside Karma. Shuu grit his teeth. He knew what this was about. The Red Devil and his sidekick were famous for their matchmaking, and they must have somehow already picked up on Shuu’s pining. This meant bad news for his sanity…

The lunch went smoothly for the most part, aside from the simultaneously pitying and mischievous looks that the pair kept sending him. Once everyone was saying their goodbyes, Karma slung an arm over his shoulder and led him out of earshot from the rest of the group. 

“So, blondie, what kinda headway are you makin’ with Nagi? ‘Cus he’s as dense as a brick when it comes to this stuff.” For once, it didn’t seem like Karma was mocking him. He might genuinely want to help, and wouldn’t that be a trip? Shuu sighed, he knew that resisting would only delay the inevitable.

“What headway, Red?” he asked sarcastically, and Karma cringed in sympathy. “I’ve known and have been an absolute mess since our second year of high school. Just lately… it’s been worse.” Karma frowned and furrowed his eyebrows. This was the Karma he’d come to know behind closed doors. The one who let himself care, who let himself feel things, who was vulnerable. Shuu liked this Karma. He only knew this Karma because Karma knew the other Shuu. The vulnerable Shuu. They were so much more alike than they ever could have guessed in middle school, but when they finally figured it out, Shuu valued their friendship only second to his relationship with Nagisa.

“What happened, Citrus?” he asked in a low voice, and the floodgates opened. Shuu told him all about the Kusanagi incident; once he started talking, he couldn’t stop. It was nice to get it off his chest but the pressure in his chest was still there. Karma’s frown deepened with every word he said. By the end, he looked terribly conflicted. He pulled Shuu into a hug, uncaring that they were in public and right in front of their friends. Shuu melted into the hug. He hadn’t realized how much he had needed this until just now. He put his head on Karna’s shoulder and just soaked up the contact. He knew Karma was doing the same, sometimes you just need to recharge your ‘friend energy’ battery.

When they pulled away, Karma put his hands on Shuu’s shoulders and kept meaningful eye contact. “Shuu, you need to do something about this,” he said in a low voice. “This is only going to get worse and I hate seeing you hurting like this.” He squeezed Shuu’s shoulders for emphasis. “I can help you, but most of this you’ll have to do on your own.”

“But what if he gets uncomfortable and it ruins everything because he doesn’t feel the same. Karma, you know just as well as I do that this could ruin everything and he never tells anyone when he’s uncomfortable so it’ll just fester and-”

“Citrus, Citrus,” Karma cut off his rambling. “I know you, and I know him. I know that no matter what, you two will pull through together in the end, one way or another.” Karma smiled softly and Shuu sighed.

“Okay, okay, alright. I can do this.” Karma nodded approvingly. “But what do I do?” he asked weakly.

“You have to be so obvious that there’s no possible way he could misinterpret it. Start with the flirting, do little things for him around your place, bring little gifts. Then after a little while of that, you take him somewhere special and you have to say explicitly, ‘I’m in love with you.’ Got it?”

“Got it. What do I do if he turns me down?”

“Well, you also have to make it clear that there isn’t any pressure for him to return your feelings or to say it back just because you said it. So if he turns you down, you take it in stride and save your sniffles for later. For me, not for him so he doesn’t feel guilty.” Shuu nodded. “If all else fails call me, Rio and I can come up with a plan,” Karma smirked and Shuu smiled back gratefully. 

“Thank you, brother.”

  
  


“Always, Citrus.”

  
  


* * *

Nagisa never asked what he and Karma talked about so intently that day, for which he was grateful. On their way back home, Shuu made a plan that may or may not flop magnificently. Well, at least he knew he’d have Karma waiting in the wings with comfort food and movies if he needed it.

  
  


The next few weeks were…  _ interesting _ to say the least. Shuu spent an embarrassing amount of time looking up one-liners that he could use if he got the chance without sounding cheesy. He also collected a little stash of small gifts that he thought that Nagisa would like that he gave to him whenever it felt appropriate. Shuu also offered to do both of their laundries and insisted on cleaning up the kitchen after one of them cooked. He thought he was doing fairly well.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Shuu had just finished plating breakfast when Nagisa came into the kitchen yawning cutely, sporting a new hairstyle. Shuu looked up briefly and bit his lip before he smirked and quirked an eyebrow saying, “Stop looking so hot. People are trying to get along with their lives here.” He then picked up their plates and walked out, leaving a cherry red and sputtering Nagisa in his wake.

  
  


* * *

Shortly after that, Nagisa found a coat that he had been looking at last week hanging on the coat rack. They had been out shopping and he was enamored with the coat until he saw the price, after that he wasn’t so enthusiastic. He should have known that Shuu had seen his interest in the coat… A fuzzy feeling rose in his chest when he thought about his roommate paying that much attention to him, and caring that much.

It quickly became his favorite coat, especially when he could sneak it into the wash with Shuu’s clothes. It always smelled like safety after that, like home.

  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


They were sitting together at the table doing homework. Shuu intentionally pressed too hard on the paper and broke the lead on his pencil. He sighed dramatically and said, “Like this broken pencil, life without you is pointless.” He resisted the urge to laugh when his Blueberry squeaked and hid his face in his hands.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Later that day, Nagisa would find a blueberry shaped pencil case with a little blue journal on his bed with a note that said:  _ Maybe these will help you organize all of those brilliant thoughts of yours that I know sometimes overwhelm you. _

It was a gift that Nagisa treasured for years to come. 

* * *

  
  
  


Nagisa took a little longer to get ready that day, and it was obvious when he came into the living room why. He had dressed up a bit, a pale yellow dress shirt and black skinny jeans instead of his usual plain t-shirt and jeans. Shuu got the breath knocked out of him by the sight of his best friend/crush, it didn’t help that the shirt was the same color as Shuu’s hair, something Nagisa was well aware of. The little brat was doing it on purpose. Shuu took a moment to collect himself before he looked back at Nagisa, who looked like he was trying not to smile. Definitely on purpose.  _ Two can play at that game, Blueberry. _

Shuu blatantly eyed him up and down, then raised an eyebrow. “What’s all this about? I hope you realize that if sexy could kill, you’d be a weapon of mass destruction.” He paused for a moment, deciding whether or not his next move would be worth the risk. He hoped it was.

Shuu walked towards Naisa with calculated steps, the man standing stock still, eyes wide. Nagisa didn’t step back or tell him to back off, which he took as a good sign. Shuu pressed into his space then leaned down so his lips brushed the shell of Nagisa’s ear. Nagisa still hadn’t moved. He took great pride in the shiver that ran through Nagisa’s body, and the shake intake of breath when he spoke in a low voice, almost a growl.

“If you’re trying to distract some people, it’s  _ working.”  _ Then he really did growl. “Now go on, breakfast’s on the table, my little brat.” 

He straightened up, maintaining eye contact. Nagisa was staring at him with his lips parted in surprise in a way that gave Shuu the irresistible urge to kiss him silly. Somehow, he managed to control himself. He walked out of the living room after that great success without looking back and didn’t hold back a chuckle when his crush/victim made some sort of squeak of protest as he left.

  
  
  
  
  


Shuu didn’t dare do anything quite as… assertive as that again, but that didn’t stop him from replaying the scene over in his head late at night, imagining different scenarios where maybe he didn’t tell Nagisa that there was breakfast on the table, maybe he grabbed his hips and… well those fantasies were a little less than PG. 

  
  
  


Shuu was careful to space his attacks strategically so Nagisa didn’t get desensitized to it but was still thinking about Shuu’s advances. He had a  _ lot _ of fun with the pickup lines. Red and blue together were now his favorite color.

  
  
  


Then came The Day _. _ Way too fast. The Day where he’d go all out and confess. And probably make a total fool of himself.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Yay.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Or maybe… just maybe, it’ll all work out perfectly and Nagisa won’t hate him and Shuu would finally be able to shower his Blueberry with affection and treasure him, treat him like the king he is, just like he deserves.

If he weren’t panicking so much, Shuu might have considered the possibility of a third outcome.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Both.

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Erm... I have nothing to say for myself.

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of my OTP's (as is karmasiga btw) and I was real upset when there were hardly any legit fics for them so this is me attempting to satisfying my fluffy needs for this pair. (This is also the reason Let Me Breathe is so late I'm so sorry) Let me know what you think! I always love feedback!
> 
> Stay safe, little birdies! 
> 
> <3


End file.
